Pellegrini not playing mind games

31 Mar 2014 06:31:58

Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini is not about to start taking any notice of Jose Mourinho's latest mind games after the Portugese coach declared it was now impossible for Chelsea to win the Barclays Premier League.

The Blues slumped to a shock 1-0 defeat at Crystal Palace on Saturday afternoon, after which Mourinho claimed his team's hopes of staying top are over with six matches to go.

City, however, failed to take full advantage as they were held to a 1-1 draw at Arsenal in Saturday's late kick-off.

Liverpool moved two points clear of Chelsea after beating Tottenham 4-0 at Anfield on Sunday afternoon - but City's destiny is still in their own hands, having played a couple of matches less than the sides above them and with a visit to Anfield still to come.

Following all the talk of big horses, little horses and the Liverpool Chihuahua earlier in the campaign, Pellegrini has no intentions of embroiling himself in another war of words with anyone.

"I don't think that important managers can give any importance to those mind games, and I don't know if you think that managers who seem to play mind games are more intelligent, I don't think so," the Chilean said.

"I do not know what Mourinho said, and I don't know the way he thinks,

"(But) it is not my duty to analyse what Mourinho has said. That is your duty."

Pellegrini is expecting the championship race to go to the wire.

"My way of thinking is that the four teams have the same option to win the title," the City boss said.

"It is very close, all the other teams have a few points more, six games more, we have eight games more, we have to win those six points (in hand).

"We don't have six points more, we have two games postponed, it is not the same thing so I think all four teams have the same chances."